Skewered Eyeballs

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• 4 small olives black pitted halved
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground for seasoning
• 8  round carrot 
• 16  cremini mushrooms 
• 2 tablespoons sage leaves fresh chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 3 tablespoons juice of lemon fresh
• 0.7 cup olive oil 
• 4 large pimento-stuffed olives green halved
• 1.3 pounds chicken breasts boneless skinless cut into 16 bite-size pieces ( 2 small breasts)

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• whisk
• toothpicks
• broiler
• cutting board
• broiler pan

Directions

1. Soak 16 round, wooden toothpicks in water for 30 minutes.
2. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sage and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.
3. Pour half into a separate bowl.
4. Add chicken to one bowl and mushrooms to other. Toss; let sit for 30 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from marinade and season with 1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. To make an "eyeball," place a cube of chicken on cutting board and push toothpick through. Push mushroom onto toothpick, cap side down; center carrot round on toothpick and push into indentation in mushroom to make "iris." Finally, center black olive half on toothpick and push onto carrot to make "pupil." Make 8 "eyeballs" this way. For other 8, omit carrot and black olive and push green olive half into indentation in mushroom. Discard chicken marinade; reserve mushroom marinade. ("Eyeballs" can be made up to this point and kept, covered, in refrigerator for up to 8 hours.)
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Place "eyeballs" on a broiler pan. Position in oven so that chicken is 6 inches from heat source. Broil until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with mushroom marinade, 6 to 8 minutes. Arrange on a platter, in pairs, to look like a plate full of shifty eyes.